SECOND World War hero General George S Patton was murdered by an American assassin to cover up Allied blunders which cost thousands of lives, according to a new book.

SECRETS: Patton is believed to have known secrets about Eisenhower, pictured.

The CIA deliberately caused the car crash which left the general with a broken neck in an attempt to silence him, military historian Robert Wilcox claims.

He was then allegedly killed by poison as he lay paralysed in his hospital bed in Heidelberg, Germany.

Mr Wilcox believes Gen Patton – known as Old Blood and Guts – was killed because he was going to reveal a series of disastrous mistakes made by the Supreme Allied Command, including future president Dwight D Eisenhower.

“I don’t believe Eisenhower would ever have been elected president if Patton had lived to say the things he wanted to say,” said Mr Wilcox.

“He was going to resign and spill wartime secrets that would have ruined careers.” The writer tracked down former US government assassin Douglas Bazata, who he claims admitted his role in Gen Patton’s death.

“He confessed to me that he had caused Patton’s ‘accident’ and that he had been ordered to do so by Office of Strategic services boss General William ‘Wild Bill’ Donovan.” Gen Patton officially died from a blood clot on his brain 12 days after the accident in 1945.